Ted Larkin was an extraordinary man who should be honoured

Columnist

Brothers in arms: Sergeant Ted Larkin, Lieutenant-Colonel George Braund and Lieutenant-Colonel John Nash. Photo: Australian War Memorial

Six weeks ago, at Allan Border Oval, your humble correspondent spoke briefly at the launch of an initiative of the NSW Government, called United We Stand, which encourages sporting clubs, as a part of the coming Centenary Commemorations for the Great War, to research and honour those of their former players who served.

In the words of Veterans Affairs Minister Victor Dominello: “Local sports clubs serve as a golden repository through which we can capture, preserve and embrace the untold stories of thousands of men and women who have served our country at war.”

And here’s the thing. As I am writing a book on Gallipoli at the moment, I have come across the story of a man that two sporting communities should honour, and several other communities besides.

See Ted Larkin was quite the young blade at the turn of last century. Newcastle born and the son of a miner, he won a scholarship to St Joseph's College at Hunters Hill and was the star hooker of the first XV. Going on with his rugby after school, while working as a journalist, he played with the Endeavour Club of Newtown, and in 1903 – the day after marrying Sydney beauty May Yates – made his debut for the Waratahs against the touring All Blacks. He did so well he was then picked to make his Test debut against them the following month, and performed superbly.

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That same year, Larkin joined the NSW Police Force, where he prospered, before resigning in 1909 to take over as secretary of the New South Wales Rugby Football League, then on the point of bankruptcy. Larkin was a great administrator and an even greater advocate for rugby league in the public domain, believing in “honest professionalism as against quasi-amateur football”.

In fact, he was so good that league soon outstripped union for popularity, and as his fame grew, he decided to get into politics for Labor in – get this – the lower north shore seat of Willoughby! No one thought a Labor man could win the blue-ribbon seat of the blue bloods, but on December 13, 1913, he did.

“Labor supporters in Willoughby were euphoric,” recounts Ross McMullin in his superb book Farewell, Dear People: Biographies of Australia's Lost Generation. “A torchlight procession took over Lane Cove Road, and his five-year-old son Teddy retained a vivid lifelong memory of being carried through a jubilant crowd on his father's shoulders.”

The 34-year-old Larkin had it all: a wonderful wife, two sons that he adored, a great career. People touted him as a likely future Premier of the state.

And then the war. Within a fortnight of the outbreak, Larkin and his older brother Martin had joined up with the 1st Battalion of the Australian Imperial Force. It was his duty, he said, to set an example to other sportspeople to do the right thing and fight for the country. He refused a commission to be an officer, not feeling himself qualified, and wanting to stay close to the men.

So it was that at dawn on April 25, 1915, then, it was Sergeant Ted Larkin if you please – described by Sydney Morning Herald correspondent Charles Bean as “a man with a fine influence in his battalion” – who stormed ashore on the beaches of Gallipoli at the head of his troops. Later that afternoon, at Pine Ridge, and just after his older brother had been killed not far away, a bullet hit him, badly wounding him.

When the stretcher bearers came for him, however, Larkin waved them on, saying, “There’s plenty worse than me out there.”

Shortly afterwards, his blood drenching the soil of Gallipoli, Ted Larkin breathed his last. It was, yet, a month later, on May 24 – during an extraordinary armistice that took place, for both sides to bury their dead – that they could recover his body.

When the news of his death reached Sydney it was far more than his devastated wife May and his two sons that mourned. Sydney was devastated.

A Requiem Mass for the repose of his soul was held at St Mary’s Cathedral, attended by the Premier, the Opposition Leader and most of the members of parliament.

At the moment of the consecration, however, as reported in The Freeman’s Journal, “was suddenly heard the sound of drum and bugles and the tread of marching feet. It was the new contingent marching past the cathedral on their way to the front. To the huge congregation, praying for the departed hero, it brought home with a thrill the full realisation of war and what war means for Australia.”

But here is the odd thing. The large plaque on the wall of the Legislative Assembly commemorating his sacrifice, and that of fellow parliamentarian, the Member for Armidale, Lieutenant-Colonel George F. Braund, is wrong.

It records that they, “Fell gloriously in action, at the Dardanelles in the month of May.”

Larkin didn’t. He was among the first ashore on April 25, and died on that very signature day.

A couple of weeks ago in close to his last act as Premier, Barry O’Farrell promised me he would see the plaque changed. The photo attached was taken and sent to me by Mike Baird, just before he became Premier. Deputy Premier Gladys Berejiklian now holds the seat of Willoughby and is a great admirer of the whole Larkin saga.

It should be changed, and will be. And Ted Larkin is precisely the kind of person who should be honoured, and remembered by the NSW Parliament, the Wallabies, the NRL, Joeys, et al, in the coming centenary. Perhaps a dinner, bringing them all together, hosted by the Premier and Opposition Leader?

Late news: Last night the Premier advised: “I will make further inquiries with the Speaker to make sure this mistake is rectified and Ted Larkin is properly commemorated in the NSW Parliament.”

Bravo.

19 comments so far

Lest We Forget

Commenter

John

Location

sydney

Date and time

April 24, 2014, 3:57AM

A great story Peter and one of thousand upon thousands and all still there to see if one takes the opportunity to seek them out. Get a lost relative's War Record and search Battalion Records and their lives and stories are still there and not that far away. Both my wife and myself lost Grandparents on the Western Front at Pozieres and somewhere between Zonnebeke and Polygon Wood. Nearly 3 years ago we visited my wife's grandfather's grave just outside the little village of Pozieres and were pleased how peaceful and in some way beautiful the War Cemetery was. My forebear was never found or if he was, not identified, and his name is on the Menin Gate at Ypres. We attended the Last Post at the gate which the local Fire brigade perform every night. Whilst there and going on war records I wandered down a country lane trying to get as close as I could to where my Grandfather died. Retracing my steps a local woman followed me down the road asked me why I was taking photos of her house. When I explained why she quietly turned around and walked back to her house. There is still a reverence for those who came to France and Belgium to fight for those countries all those years ago. Tomorrow morning at Heathcote my Grandson is to read the Prayer to the Nation at the Dawn Service and will wear their Medals and I am sure they would be proud of the fact that part of them lives on and their sacrifice was not all in vain.

Commenter

Rob

Location

Gymea Bay

Date and time

April 24, 2014, 5:49AM

Ahhh Fitz........ You've done it again. Fantastic article. In the immortal words of Blackadder, " it makes you want to jump out the trench and yell yarboo sucks to you Fritzy!!"

Commenter

Ferg

Date and time

April 24, 2014, 5:50AM

Great idea .Possibly there could be an annual dinner with funds to be provided to the families of young footballers severely injured while playing their games .

Commenter

Chris

Location

Baulkham Hills

Date and time

April 24, 2014, 8:09AM

"There's plenty worse than me out there."Leadership in a nutshell.

Commenter

Lewis Winders

Location

Tasmania

Date and time

April 24, 2014, 9:56AM

Lest we forget

Commenter

Watcher

Location

Brisbane

Date and time

April 24, 2014, 1:32PM

Cannot agree with this sentimentality at all. Three points:

It would be far better to honour those that lost lives and family by remembrance of the horror of the conflict, the nationalist and commercial interests that caused it, and the jingoistic propaganda that was used in its promotion

ANZAC day was never big for many who actually served in these conflicts - my forebears, like a large proportion of the surviving personnel and their families, refused to participate (or collect medals and other recognizances) because of revulsion at the horror, interests and propaganda referred to above.

It should also be recalled that huge numbers, mainly Irish Catholic, were opposed to the war and to the politics/sentiments reflected by these extracts from The Freeman's Journal. Conscription was needed to address the available troop numbers. It is to the eternal credit of the Australian people that this measure was rejected twice.

Stories of personal bravery are to be found in every conflict, on all sides and not just on the battlefield - it also takes courage to stand against war, to object to the sacrifice rather than weep over the loss, and to withstand vilification by the political/propaganda machine for doing so.

Commenter

Frank

Location

Dulwich Hill

Date and time

April 24, 2014, 1:37PM

So, so true, Frank. I well recall during the Vietnam era when even the major churches left conscientious objectors in the lurch by stating that there could be no objection to the war based on religious grounds (or words to that effect). Not bad, coming from people who like to preach about their Prince of Peace and God of Perfect Love.

I subsequently went on to a military career spanning nearly 30 years, including several active service tours. The highlight of that career was, for a while, being part of the initial deployment to East Timor in 1999, as I felt we were repaying a national debt after the shameful way in which we'd turned our backs on them in 1975 after all they'd done for us in WW2.

I now realise that what we were really doing was securing Woodside Petroleum's interests for them, and ensuring a lucrative post-politics sinecure for that gormless, petulant, incompetent, unemployable prat Alexander Downer.

But that's at the political level. I'm proud of my years of service in general, and in terms of what we were able to do at our level for the wonderful people of Timor Leste in particular (and other places we went). I'm also proud of the vast majority of the people with and under whom I served. My point here is that heroic actions in bad wars are still heroic and should be recognised accordingly -- we don't get to pick our fights, that's done for us by people who, nowadays, don't have one minute's military service to their credit. And if people wish to object to that war or, indeed, all wars, surely that is one of the basic freedoms for which we have been allegedly fighting.

Commenter

Lewis Winders

Location

Tasmania

Date and time

April 26, 2014, 8:28PM

With all due respect Frank your jaundiced view is not a very widely held view. The Irish caused thousands of British deaths by their belligerent attitude which was mainly on political grounds. The German bombers used Ireland beacons as points for bombing raids on the UK. If counties who are strong do not stand against oppression and protect the weak the world will be a very different place. Do you think for one moment by doing nothing in WW2 Australia would have been spared by the Japanese ? Do you think the Turks whose Ottoman Empire was founded on defeating weaker countries would have stopped as with the Germans of bullying their way around the world. Do you think the Taliban would stop with Afghanistan to make the world a radical Muslim state? Unfortunately it is the perverse views of people like you who are blind either by inadequacy or political bent. The men and women I know who serviced and are currently serving from : WW2, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iran are all proud of ANZAC day and what it represents.

Commenter

Taffy

Location

Ingleburn

Date and time

April 27, 2014, 12:19PM

Thank you for the story of Ted Larkin.It is important that the memories are recorded and respected.. I have been at battle sites in North Africa, France, Belgium, Singapore, etc. and loss of so many wonderful young men appals. In Northern France there is a wonderful nearly full-sized statue of a WWI digger standing surrounded by a wheat field and my Indian confrere wondered why there were tears to my eyes. For years I was the only one in the well maintained Madras War Cemetery on Anzac Day, where some 14 Australians and six New Zealanders are interred, until I prevailed on the then Aus. Consul General to act. So on Friday again at dawn an impressive ceremony will be held with an international crowd including very senior Indian Officers and a smart detachment of turbaned Indian troops. 1,380,000 Indian Servicemen served overseas in so many theatres with some 1,350 killed at Gallipoli. With your research ability I look forward to the book.